The Robert Stock Experiment

quote:

Originally posted by tbirds:
Last year Stock wound up hitting .253 on the year after splitting time at catcher. He fluctuated from being the teams #3 hole hitter to being pinch hit for in the later innings. On the mound he had 14 appearances and ended with a 4.55 ERA.

Not to pick on you but are there any HS juniors you know of that could do better? That's essentially (age-wise) what he was last year.

To look at it another way, next year when he is a Junior, he will be the same age as many of the incomming Freshman. Yeah, I think he's done just fine.

I watched a few low A minor league games where a prospect out of HS was clearly overmatched. He also clearly had a lot of talent. The next season he was still in the same league and he did a whole lot better. I think Robert went into a similar situation and has done as well as can be expected.

My guess is that the Stocks have found the transition from HS ball in a strong league to major D1 ball to be a bit tougher than expected, but Robert seems to have handled it quite well and I would expect him to continue to improve as he gets more experience under his belt.

He seems to be fairly physically mature despite his youth, and he's fairly mature for his age academically and socially so I wouldn't expect that to be a major factor. What he lacks is experience and he's getting it. I think the Stocks made a wise choice and wish Robert the best of luck in college and in next year's draft at the grand old age of 19, the same as some highly touted high school seniors.

For an update, USC played #2 Arizona today in a doubleheader. Stock caught the first game then caught the first 8 of the second game before coming in to close. The kid is no doubt succeeding for his team; he looked great behind the plate (the best part of his game - arm and defense).

Is this smart---catch two games in DH and then come in to close?


This could be the beginning of the end for a great arm

Ahhh, I had a feeling that would draw TR into the mix. If we're to believe him, Stock's arm should have began the falling off process six years ago.

tburds

Answer the question before you want to rail on me---do you think it is smart?

I am not talking about the previous history--I am talking of this one instance---this could be the instance that triggers the problem--maybe not--but it sure ain't helping

Answer the question--do you think it is smart?

TRhit- I agree with you on this one. It would have been preferable if he DH'ed the decond game or came in halfway. That's alot of wear and tear. You would NEVER see a pro catcher catch the second game.

Secondly, this whole age thing regarding Stock being so young has got to go. The kid probably has an August or September birthday like a bunch of kids. He was not playing D1 as the equivalent of a HS junior.

The reality is that he did this to better his future professional career (and it makes sense). High school baseball, even in southern california is just not very challenging for kids who play at a high level in the summer. He was a dime a dozen as a pitcher and had some arm challenges (why bother). His receiving skills were not very good to be brutally honest. He had a strong arm behind the dish but his footwork was poor. He was younger for his grade and going off to play rookie ball at 17 with a bunch of kids who didn't speak his language would have been an absolute culture shock.

The solution- Go play college baseball for three years at USC. He gets to work with an ex big-league catcher at getting better, enjoys the college life, and comes out bigger, stronger, and more prepared for the rigors of pro baseball. Good choice.

quote:

Originally posted by ncball:
Secondly, this whole age thing regarding Stock being so young has got to go. The kid probably has an August or September birthday like a bunch of kids. He was not playing D1 as the equivalent of a HS junior.

What do you mean "it's got to go"??? It is what it is, he was young for his class to begin with, not to mention he left early. I'm not sure why you feel that has no merit???

Kids with August/September birthdays are always the youngest in thier class. I know, I was one!!! Typically kids graduate when they're 18, not 17. Hence, a "typical" junior is 17. And yes, there are those exceptions.

http://usctrojans.cstv.com/sports/m-basebl/mtt/stock_robert00.html

"...birthdate is Nov. 21, 1989"

Just as a side note, he's only 3 years older than my 15u HS Freshman.

I would like to take this opportunity to say that I TOTALLY AGREE WITH TRHIT!!!!

Other comments on above posts:

Stock is exactly 2 months, 17 days older than my son who is currently a high school senior. Without question he is two years ahead in the pipeline. There are seniors on our HS baseball team who are older than Stock.

Stock was a "dime a dozen" as a pitcher? I beg to differ. The kid could run it up to 95 when he was 16. He had nasty breaking stuff even then, and was the #1 arm on the Junior National Team. Gimme a break!

I did note in the AFLAC game that he muffed a few balls that I would normally expect a top flight catcher to handle easily. I later heard he was using a brand new mitt. Not sure why, but there it is FWIW.

quote:

He was a dime a dozen as a pitcher

Give me a break! He's been a BA player of the year. He threw mid 90's in high school. He succeeded on Team USA. He probably would have gone in the first ten picks in the draft had he stayed for senior year of high school. That's hardly "dime a dozen."

OMG

1. Left handed hitting catcher
2. Some serious juice in his bat
3. 17 y/o College Freshman
4. Proven experience swingin the lumber!
5. Might project to be 6'3 210 lbs!
6. This prospect's future is an everyday player,
and probably behind the dish, (then 1b/3b).

Hits like a young Al Kaline, who happened
to by-pass the minor leagues.

Yet reminds me a heckuva lot like
Willam James Surhoff. Who had an unbelievable
college career at UNC.
And a #1 draft pick, and then 19 years in the bigs, (and whose last year of pro ball was 2004).

And I ran into last night at the Terp vs UNC game. Surhoff even knew of the kid.

An 'experiment'? %^T&U*. NO!

A future! YES!

[Yet could fall-back to the bump!]
How about $3.5M signing bonus in 2009!
and if with Bodwen's - could see 40 man roster
in 2010!

BEAR


Do think this will happen if the young man keeps getting used like this in doubleheaders?

Personally I think it is a recipe for arm disater

Son was a 17 year old freshman and the age thing doesn't seem to be that big of a deal, however, Stock is a stud at any age. I am an advocate for college in most scenarios, just for the great experience and comraderie. Think Stock will benefit for it...IF...they don't hurt him with overuse.

TR,
I agree too much with behind the dish and closing.

But Matt Weiters did that often. His arm is still attached.

TPM

I am truly appreciative of your agreement

And the kid caught another full game today

quote:

Originally posted by TRhit:
TPM

I am truly appreciative of your agreement

Why thank you sir!
You stated recently I was only right once. So now I am right twice, lucky me!

Do I think it was smart?

By smart you mean what? Was it the best decision for the team, the player, or his baseball career.

Obviously the team was better with him in the lineup.

Secondly, he obviously handled the task extremely well.

However, the question of course is injury. If he is not strong enough (in shape, durable, healthy) to handle the task, then obviously its a bad decision. On the other hand, if he was all those things then it was merely another day in the ballpark. Personally, I have no idea what his workout regime is, I'm sure his coach does however.

My earlier comment was regarding the "scandal" that happened six years ago when he was 12 and threw 2 games in a day as well as caught 2 games. I remember the outcry that TRhit made, and have yet to see it come to fruition.


This is all beyond the point, however, as the initial point of the thread was to wonder how Stock will wind up as a player, using how he has performed so far as indication. After this weekend he is batting .333 through 20 starts (in 20 games) and has thrown 4 scoreless innings and struck out 8.

ncball,
Looking at PG's top nine 2008s, 5 of them are older than Robert and most of the rest are within a few months of him in age. I'd say he was playing D1 ball at the same age as a typical junior, and is playing his second year at the same age as a typical senior.

tburds


All those two a day games like that can catch up to a player--I was not outraged--I was concerned for a great talent--I have seen too many of them go down the tube